Before the 1970s, it was not illegal to dispose of hazardous chemicals in unlined pits, and many companies did so

Should they be held responsible today for the contamination those wastes are causing, or should the government (taxpayers) pay for the cleanup? Give a rationale for your position.


If a student proposes that companies should not be held responsible for contamination caused by legal disposal practices, ask about who benefited from those practices. While the consumer might have benefited by lower prices, the company would have also benefited from higher profits.
If a student proposes that companies should be held responsible for contamination caused by legal disposal practices, ask about why the consumers who benefited should not also pay. Additionally, the company may have limited funds available for cleanup if it is to remain in business. What will happen to the community if jobs are lost and the taxes from the company disappear?

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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The ozonosphere is critical to life because it

A) affects temperatures. B) absorbs visible light wavelengths. C) absorbs most ultraviolet wavelengths. D) produces the auroras.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Of the following, for which would it be the most difficult to determine a discrete threshold level of exposure?

A) Carcinogens B) Drain cleaners C) Acids D) Arsenic

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Salts are excluded from ice as seawater freezes at the surface of the ocean.

Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Death rates are very high during the preindustrial stage of demographic transitions

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences